Commuting - Pedestrians on bike-only path are violating city ordinance

Around Minneapolis city lakes it is quite common to have two sets of paths: one for pedestrians and one for bikes. Bikes tend to stay off the pedestrian path, but very commonly pedestrians, runners, strollers, roller bladers, etc. are on the bike paths. Why, I'm not sure. Maybe to avoid the more congested ped path on weekends, maybe if they are running it's to avoid having to pass walkers, or ...?

Anyway, the following article in the Minneapolis Star Tribune brought my attention to the fact that those pedestrians on the bike-only path are breaking city law. I also noticed that police say they rarely enforce it. I have noticed how much of a hazard the peds are on the bike paths. Especially when many of them seem oblivious to the bikers and don't seem to be concerned about blocking the path for the bikers -- often being several peds stretched out across the path. socializing as they walk.

Do others of you deal with this kind of situation? I am also wondering if anything can practically be done (with little effort on my part) to raise awareness among the walkers of the city ordinance and the dangers caused by blocking the path.

The link to the article is: http://www.startribune.com/462/story/1369633.html

Walkers on wrong path cause bicyclist to take a tumble

Colleague's crash proves wisdom of following the rules when it comes to biking and walking paths.

Roadguy Jim Foti

Last update: August 18, 2007 – 4:59 PM

Who would have thought that Baghdad could be less dangerous than the paths around Lake Calhoun?

Sharon Schmickle, one of Roadguy's most esteemed colleagues, was embedded with the Marines during the 2003 invasion of Iraq, but last month a careless Minneapolis pedestrian caused her more harm than any insurgent.

Sharon was biking along at Calhoun one day when she noticed that, up ahead, three women were walking on the bicycle path, even though a separate pedestrian path was just a few steps away.

As she approached them from behind, she realized that the easiest way to get around them was on the right, so she called out her intention.

Just as she was passing, a little dog who was with the women darted across her path. Sharon and her bike ran into the dog's leash and crashed onto the asphalt.

As she lay there in pain, the women stopped briefly, then rushed away.

Fortunately, a park worker who was watering nearby trees heard the crash and came to Sharon's aid. Unfortunately, he couldn't simultaneously help her and pursue the pedestrians, who went unpunished. Sharon wound up with cracked ribs, and her helmet took such a beating that police advised her to get a new one.

Despite what you might see around the lakes and on the parkways, it's a violation of Minneapolis code to walk or jog on a bike path "except where such pathway is also a designated pedestrian pathway." The converse is true; bikes and skaters are banned from designated park walking paths (though it's legal to bike on most sidewalks outside business districts).

Sgt. Brian Rogers of the Minneapolis Park Police was kind enough to fax a copy of the rules to Roadguy. "I wouldn't say we write a lot of tickets for that," he said, but officers are aware of the danger and tend to use their public-address systems to direct people onto the correct path.

Sharon, meanwhile, is on the path to recovery and is itching to get back to kayaking and other activities curtailed by the crash. She's not pleased to have missed out on six weeks of the summer biking season, but she already has that new helmet.

Jim Foti • 612-673-4491

I agree with you. The peds on the bike paths are extremely dangerous in Mpls. I'd say I have a near miss at least 3 times a week due to them.
However, I disagree with your assertion that rollerbladers should be on the ped. path. They belong on the bike paths. I just wish that they didn't feel the need to take up the entire path. When I rollerblade I stay to the right so people can pass.
The other issue is the 10mph speed limit on the bike paths. While it's easy for me to point the finger and accuse pedestrians of endangering myself, the reality is that I rarely go below 15mph on those paths, so who am I to flaunt the law about?

madfiNch,

I didn't mean to assert that roller bladers should be on the pedestrian path, I was just observing that they are often on the bike path. With their higher speed I agree with you that they should probably be on the bike paths. I also wish they didn't need to take up as much width as they do.

I also have a hard time going much under 15 miles per hour on a path when I'm biking so I also have some reforming to do.

Wow, it's weird that they have a 10 MPH speed limit on a path where there supposedly shouldn't be any pedestrians.
I certainly wouldn't bother using a path with a 10 MPH speed limit unless it took a lot of distance off my route.

the only problem I have with (most) roller bladers is.. they favor personal music listening devices, which means they are OBLIVIOUS to my BELL when I ring it to alert them that i am passing

I have 2 things to say,

first, I'd love to actually have more than 2 miles of an MUP, let alone a cyclist only path.

they do have ROW, so that pretty much that gives them right to anything.

what you could do? hit a ped a week, I bet they stay out of your way then

300 decibel wigwag alarm siren gets those effing idiots off the bikepaths. I sound it when i'm about 2 feet from their backsides. They get the message.

first, I'd love to actually have more than 2 miles of an MUP, let alone a cyclist only path.

Why, when any of these paths get swarmed with people who are going slower than you are?


they do have ROW, so that pretty much that gives them right to anything.

As the article quoted by OP clearly states, no, they don't have ROW. They don't have the right to be there at all.

God, do I hate MUPs.

If you think that's bad, try riding South on PCH in North San Diego County on a weekend morning. The walkers and joggers are taking the lane side by side in many places, going against traffic and forcing cyclists into the #1 lane. It's a trip.

300 decibel wigwag alarm siren gets those effing idiots off the bikepaths. I sound it when i'm about 2 feet from their backsides. They get the message.

Wonder what your feelings would be if an automobile came up behind you and committed the same act? Courteous actions gain you more than malicious acts of stupidity.

Wonder what your feelings would be if an automobile came up behind you and committed the same act? Courteous actions gain you more than malicious acts of stupidity.

every day in the city my friend, ambulances, fire trucks, cars, trucks, scooters. One learns to tune it right out.

sometimes you have to stop being a ll nice and courteous and WAKE people up when they are on the bike only lanes. Its for their own safety really.

Wonder what your feelings would be if an automobile came up behind you and committed the same act? Courteous actions gain you more than malicious acts of stupidity.

Let me get this straight. You've been reading this same stuff since 2003 and you haven't burnt out yet? My god you are a better man than me. What's your secret? I've had to break away for a while, come back to take a peak... and it's starts all over again. I swear, you must be Gandhi or something. I must have reached peak "ability to care anymore" last spring. And here you are still punching since 2003. Yep, cyclists treat pedestrians exactly the same way as cyclists say cagers treat them. Keep the faith brother.

I use to live on that lake, it I NEVER took the bike path--- always the road. The road has a posted speed limit of 25, IIRC- so it is no big deal to simply take the lane. The bike path has a slow posted speed, and is full of slow moving bikers enjoying the view, bladers, etc... I always regarded it as a dangerous place to take the road bike.

Wonder what your feelings would be if an automobile came up behind you and committed the same act? Courteous actions gain you more than malicious acts of stupidity.

Surely the subject is pedestrians on bike-only paths? If you were riding your bike on a freeway where bikes are banned, would you expect drivers to be courteous?

Agree that courtesy often works, but, when all else fails, fear can be a useful learning tool

man I wish we had bike-only paths. all our paths are shared here.

Do others of you deal with this kind of situation? I am also wondering if anything can practically be done (with little effort on my part) to raise awareness among the walkers of the city ordinance and the dangers caused by blocking the path.
[/I]

We're lucky to have the kind of path and trail system we have here in the Minneapolis metro. Some paths are just too crowded to use (around the lakes) but on the commuter paths I think the only way to raise awareness is to take it to the people you see out there.

When faced with pedestrians /runners on the bike only path I look at them and tell them as I pass "Hey, you're on the wrong path" and point out the ped path. Even though it may not raise their awareness of the safety issues they are causing, they do get the message that this biker at least does not appreciate their disregard for the system that has been put in place. I figure the more they hear it the less likely they are to be there. That's my theory anyway...

Patrolling of the paths is unlikely to happen on a municipal level, which is fine, so I think we as users have a responsibility to do it ourselves. I help people in need, I report grafitti and maintenence issues whenever I notice them. I figure it's all part of taking care of what we have, because as others have pointed out, we're lucky to have it. I have one of the best urban bike commutes I can imagine, it's dear to me, and I want to protect it.

300 decibel wigwag alarm siren gets those effing idiots off the bikepaths. I sound it when i'm about 2 feet from their backsides. They get the message.


Beat me to it - but it's only 120 decibels:

http://www.mec.ca/Products/product_image.jsp?FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302693017&PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524441777409&bmUID=1187611336238

sometimes you have to stop being a ll nice and courteous and WAKE people up when they are on the bike only lanes. Its for their own safety really.

I had some woman in a car tell me the same thing in almost the exact same words when I asked her why she buzzed me. Just change bike lanes with roads and you've got it.

I don't see much difference here. "We need to teach those peds a lesson with obnoxious horns or buzzing" sounds eerily familiar.

Az

I don't usually have problems with peds on the bike path at the lakes. There are so many bikers there it doesn't take long for someone unfamiliar with the setup to figure it out.

On my commute along the west river road, however, I get walkers on the bike only path all the time. Especially on the Stone Arch bridge. Like someone else said, I'm speeding all the time anyway (10mph :rolleyes:), so I can't really complain about the legality of it.

The other day I had to go around two joggers in the on street bike lane. Now THAT made me mad.

Time to hit these pedestrians with $1000 fines for violating city bylaws. Step onto a bike path and get caught, $1000 fine. do it again, $2000. The only thing these two legged sheep understand is their pocketbook. Hit em hard in the pocketbook.

I had some woman in a car tell me the same thing in almost the exact same words when I asked her why she buzzed me. Just change bike lanes with roads and you've got it.

I don't see much difference here. "We need to teach those peds a lesson with obnoxious horns or buzzing" sounds eerily familiar.

Az

+1

Same idea. Different source and target.

300 decibel wigwag alarm siren gets those effing idiots off the bikepaths. I sound it when i'm about 2 feet from their backsides. They get the message.

I don't think that 300dB is possible, it would kill you and everyone around you.

A rock concert is 120db and the space shuttle engine is 200db at a distance of 10 meters. So 300dB would be 10 times louder than the space shuttle launching. You'd be dead.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decibel#Acoustics
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DB_drag_racing

I had some woman in a car tell me the same thing in almost the exact same words when I asked her why she buzzed me. Just change bike lanes with roads and you've got it.

I don't see much difference here.

Oh, I think there was probably at least one. When you got buzzed by the woman in the car, were you on a cars-only road? As in, legally posted for motor vehicles only, or with "no bikes"?

I had some woman in a car tell me the same thing in almost the exact same words when I asked her why she buzzed me. Just change bike lanes with roads and you've got it.

I don't see much difference here. "We need to teach those peds a lesson with obnoxious horns or buzzing" sounds eerily familiar.

Az

Except that bicycles have the RIGHT to be on the roads, while the peds do not have the right to be on this path.

^^ beat me to it :)

I don't think that 300dB is possible, it would kill you and everyone around you.

A rock concert is 120db and the space shuttle engine is 200db at a distance of 10 meters. So 300dB would be 10 times louder than the space shuttle launching. You'd be dead.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decibel#Acoustics
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DB_drag_racing

Close...dB is a log scale with each 10dB equaling a factor of 10 increase. 300 dB would be 10^18 times more intense than the 120dB rock concert. So, yeah, a lot.

man I wish we had bike-only paths. all our paths are shared here.

Sharing is the way to go. I ride on a bicycle-only lane through Central Park, sharing it with all manner of pedestrians, rollerbladers, skateboarders, recreational cyclists... yes, it's a bike-only path, but cyclists are in the minority there when I ride on it, and of the cyclists, commuters are a tiny minority. Wouldn't it be nice if there was a commuter-only bike path going right where I need it! But being realistic, there are just too many constituencies out there, and it would be a complete disaster to try to put in paths for the exclusive use of each one. I was recently riding in Germany, where most streets now seem to have a bike path between the sidewalk and the street, and things can get pretty hairy where the respective paths cross.

Oh, I think there was probably at least one. When you got buzzed by the woman in the car, were you on a cars-only road? As in, legally posted for motor vehicles only, or with "no bikes"?

To her it was a cars only road. And that's all that's important to her. Self righteous is self righteous whether or not you're right or wrong.

I'm just saying. A little temperance goes a long way.

Az

To her it was a cars only road.

....okay, so you're saying that she was crazy or hallucinating. Look, it's pretty clearly different from the case of a cyclist going onto a road (for example, an interstate) that has a "NO BIKES" sign, or a pedestrian going onto a bike path that is clearly labeled "BIKES ONLY". You're trying to claim that the two situations are parallel, and they just aren't.

I have lived near the lakes in Minneapolis for several years and I just moved even closer. So, I bike around the lakes several times a week as my "cool down" in the middle of a harder bike ride.

The only time I ever have problems with peds on the biking only path is in the very beginning of the season when everyone is out before the novelty wears off. I haven't had a problem with peds on the bike path in a few months, actually. Then again, I purposely don't bike during the most "busy" periods, either.

There is a spot on the lake, though, where the ped path and bike path come together and the only separation is paint (rather than a physical barrier). Even that spot isn't bad now that they repainted it a few weeks ago.

As far as the speed limit, I was upset about the 10mph at first, but now I don't have a problem with it. I try to stay under 12-13mph, and I still get passed by everyone, including little kids. BUT, I have had a few people wipe out in front of me as well as dogs on long leashes in front of me, and I was able to stop at that speed just fine.

As much of a bike advocate as I am, when I read that article in the paper today, I couldn't help but wonder of all the ways the cyclist's accident could have been avoided... My only guess is that the cyclist was going very fast, or wasn't looking far enough ahead, or didn't expect the dog to run in front of her?

When I DO see peds on the bike path, especially along the river, I will say something to them. Usually I just point over to the walking path, but if I really have a problem with someone--college age kids who hear and see me but still don't move over--I will say something out loud to them.

As far as bikes on the ped path, I have never, EVER seen bikes on the ped path except for little kids with training wheels, or at the bandshell around one of the lakes because the singage there is vague (I, for the record, walk my bike ANYWHERE off the designated bike path).

the only problem I have with (most) roller bladers is.. they favor personal music listening devices, which means they are OBLIVIOUS to my BELL when I ring it to alert them that i am passing

Some cyclists use such devices too. Such as myself.

But it's ok: I never get passed.

I also live in the Minneapolis area and I rode on the Calhoun and other Uptown lake paths a couple of times. And that was it. I quickly concluded that those paths are intended more for Mommy and Daddy out for a nice Saturday ride with little Suzy and little Billy. Especially with the repeatedly posted 10mph speed limits. If you're trying to get from A to B or you're out for a training ride, those paths aren't where you want to be. Just get on the road and be done with it. I'm not defending the pedestrians that are walking and jogging on the bike path. They should not be there. I'm just sayin'...

....okay, so you're saying that she was crazy or hallucinating. Look, it's pretty clearly different from the case of a cyclist going onto a road (for example, an interstate) that has a "NO BIKES" sign, or a pedestrian going onto a bike path that is clearly labeled "BIKES ONLY". You're trying to claim that the two situations are parallel, and they just aren't.

You're missing the point. Yes, the situations are different although they have similarities. However, the attitudes are exactly the same.

Az

Yup. Most of the urban paths in these parts are of no value to folks who have somewhere to go are wish to go fast in even loosest sense of the term. Enforcement of this stuff is just about nil, too. It's why I bike on the road 99% of the time.


I also live in the Minneapolis area and I rode on the Calhoun and other Uptown lake paths a couple of times. And that was it. I quickly concluded that those paths are intended more for Mommy and Daddy out for a nice Saturday ride with little Suzy and little Billy. Especially with the repeatedly posted 10mph speed limits. If you're trying to get from A to B or you're out for a training ride, those paths aren't where you want to be. Just get on the road and be done with it. I'm not defending the pedestrians that are walking and jogging on the bike path. They should not be there. I'm just sayin'...

You're missing the point. Yes, the situations are different although they have similarities. However, the attitudes are exactly the same.

How can they be exactly the same when one is based on a reasonable expectation (i.e., what you're told to expect by the signs) and one is based on an unreasonable expectation?

Look, I'm not saying "bikers always right, everybody else always wrong". But this thread deals with a fairly narrow and specific situation -- one which, I might add, doesn't exist where I live, since we don't have any "bike-only" paths. A short section of my daily commute is on a MUP -- lets me dodge a bunch of one-ways and take a more direct route, therefore worth the horrible pavement and slowdown -- and I deal with pedestrians, other cyclists, inline skaters, parents with strollers, people with dogs, you name it. But if I had a path marked as bicycle only, I'd be pretty damn irritated if pedestrians decided to use it and no one would do a damn thing about it.

10mph SL for bike only path. Absurd.

Unless of course the enforcers allow a 10mph "margin of error/grace for inaccurate vehicle speedometers and short-term lapses of attention by otherwise law-abiding and generally cautious drivers" as they do for motor vehicle speed limits. 20mph is fine for a path.

Al